Paradoxes of Power

Reflections on the Thatcher Interlude

The book describes Sir Alfred Sherman's early relationship with Sir Keith Joseph and his own role in the formation of the Centre for Policy Studies in 1974. Sherman examines the origins and development of 'Thatcherism', but concludes that the Conservative administrations of the 1980s were, for the most part, an ‘interlude’.

description Reviews Formats

Thumb through the index of almost any study of the Thatcher years — biographical, scholarly or journalistic — and you will come across the name of Sir Alfred Sherman. In her memoirs Lady Thatcher herself pays tribute to Sherman's 'brilliance’, the ‘force and clarity of his mind’, his ‘breadth of reading and his skills as a ruthless polemicist’. She credits him with a central role in her achievements, especially as Leader of the Opposition but also after she became Prime Minister. Born in 1919 in London’s East End, until 1948 Sherman was a Communist and fought in the Spanish Civil War. But he ended up an indefatigable free-market crusader. The book describes his early relationship with Sir Keith Joseph and his own role in the formation of the Centre for Policy Studies in 1974. Sherman examines the origins and development of ‘Thatcherism’, but concludes that the Conservative administrations of the 1980s were, for the most part, an ‘interlude’ and that the post-war consensus remains largely unscathed — ‘we are back to where we started’.

Source: Salisbury Review

Credit: Sir John Hoskyns

"These reflections by Thatcherism's inventor are necessary reading."

Source: Campaign for UK Conservatism

Credit: Rodney Atkinson

"Paradoxes of Power is both inspiring and depressing."

Source: Quadrant

Credit: Peter Coleman

"Fascinating... anyone sceptical about think-tanks, small magazines, and even speeches, should read Sherman's marvellous little chapters on the Centre for Policy Studies and how they gradually transformed Mrs Thatcher from the untried party leader of 1974 into a prime-minister-in-waiting."

Source: Chronicles

Credit: Derek Turner

"This book is as much an engrossing human interest story as it is a fascinating record of the metapolitics of that period or a wise animadversion on today's political realities."

Credit: Margaret Thatcher, April 2005

"Alfred Sherman's views are always trenchant but what he has to say about the Conservative renaissance of the late 1970s and 1980s is of particular interest. This book should be read by anyone examining the period."

Credit: Norman Tebbit, March 2005

"These essays by 'Alfie' Sherman are highly relevant to the politics of today."